Cretan Reproductions

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BULLETIN OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

included in the present loan consists of two
comparatively early paintings and one
drawing by Manet. La Posada, painted
about 1863 when Manet was under the
spell of the Spaniards, is a distinguished
and brilliant performance in black and
colors against a yellow background. It is
scarcely more than a sketch, recalling — per-
haps inspired by— the most dashing manner
of Goya. La Joueuse de Guitare, which
Duret says was painted about 1867, is one
of the portraits which Manet made of his
sister-in-law, Berthe Morisot. Another
such was the charming Le Repos exhibited
at the Museum last summer. A drawing
for the early Buveur d' Absinthe (1859) has
also been received on loan but has not
yet been placed on view.

Of the paintings by Claude Monet there
are four. Fishing Boats is the earliest.
The spectator looks down from above at
small sailing boats almost silhouetted
against a luminous green sea. The Poppy
Field, a later picture, is painted with the
method of broken color, as are also the two
other landscapes not yet placed in the gal-
lery. These are Haystacks— Mid-Day from
the famous series, and Rocky Headlands.

A small picture of exquisitely reticent
color and modeling is the finished study by
Puvis de Chavannes showing a portion of
his great painting La Paix in the Picardy
Museum at Amiens, which marked the
beginning of his success. There remain to
be mentioned three paintings by Whistler.
The Blue Wave still betrays the vigorous
influence of Courbet. It is mentioned in
the Whistler Journal (page 162), "The
next summer, 1862, Jo and Whistler were
together in the Pyrenees stopping at Guet-
hary and Biarritz where he painted the
Blue Wave." Westminster Bridge was
painted the same year and went to the
Academy of 1863, bearing the title, The
Last of Old Westminster. It was painted
from a window in Manchester Buildings
where Scotland Yard now stands. The
portrait of Carmen presents, of course, not
the Spanish cigarette girl of fiction, but
Whistler's Neapolitan model Madame Car-
men Rossi, the Carmen who opened in 1898
the short-lived academy at which Whistler
gave criticisms. H. B. W.

CRETAN REPRODUCTIONS

LAST December we were able to show
some new reproductions of larger Cretan
and Mycenaean objects. This month we
are exhibiting new copies of examples of the
Cretan "minor" arts. 1 Though small in
size, the artistic value of these statuettes
and reliefs and pieces of jewelry stands
high, and as objects illustrative of Cretan
life and religion they are of paramount
interest.

Through the ceaseless investigations of
the last century we have now reached a
sufficient understanding of classical Greek
art to feel eminently at home in it; only
rarely does a subject arise which we can-
not readily interpret. By dint of a thor-
ough study of the numberless monuments
at our disposal and extensive reading of
Greek literature we have found our bear-
ings. In Cretan art we have not this feel-
ing of confidence. We are still groping in
the dark. It is true that enough monu-
ments have now been unearthed to render
certain subjects familiar by repetition, and
for some of them we have evolved what
appear to us satisfactory explanations.
But these monuments are as yet too iso-
lated and — more important still — we have
not the backing of contemporary comments
to feel sure of our ground. In future times,
when more material has accumulated and
the key to the Cretan language has been
found, the outlook may well be different.
At present, then, we are at the somewhat
fascinating stage when in order to find a
meaning for Cretan objects we must use
our imagination — always within the bounds,
of course, of what the knowledge we do have
of the subject permits.

A cast of a bronze statuette of a gallop-
ing bull with a youth standing on his back
is readily connected with other "bull-
leaping" scenes, such as the famous fresco
from Knossos and the steatite vase from
Hagia Triada (No. 40 and Case J in our
collection). The forward rush of the bull
and the contrast of its powerful body with
the slim figure of the youth are very happily
rendered in this statuette. But it, no more

1 Shown in Case H 2 of the First Classical
Room.

60

BULLETIN OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

than the other representations, gives us a
clue to the real meaning of such scenes.
Was this bull-leaping simply a sport in-
dulged in by agile Cretan boys and girls;
was it a cruel method of disposing of the
Athenian youths and maidens exacted as
tribute from Athens; or was it part of a
religious ceremony? The provenance of
the statuette is not known. It was sold
at Spink's in London and is now the
property of Captain E. G. Spencer-
Churchill.

A bronze statuette of a youth raising his
right hand to his forehead, his left held
stiffly to his side, represents a type of which
more and more examples are being found.
The best-known representative hitherto
has been the figure from Tylissos (Case R
in our collection). The recently published
examples from the Psychro cave 2 and in
the British Museum 3 and the original of
our example, shortly to be published by
M. Hazzidakis, show that we have here a
familiar gesture with an evidently specific
meaning. As we cannot recognize in the
youths a Cretan divinity, they are best ex-
plained as votaries standing in an attitude
of worship or of reverence, perhaps before
the shrine of a god or goddess. Cretan
religion was plainly not one based on fear
if its followers could stand in such magnifi-
cent, proud attitudes. The long hair, small
waist, and base with plug are characteristic
Cretan features.

The attitudes of the other two bronze
statuettes of which we have acquired copies
suggest that here too we have votaries
represented. One holds his right hand to
his chest while his left is lowered, 4 that is,
it repeats the pose of the bronze from
Gournia; 5 the other has both arms before
him and appears to be holding some ob-
ject. 6 The latter was found not far from
the town of Candia. With its conical hat,
long curls, piquant face, and slim little body,
it is a particularly engaging piece. The
modeling shows more understanding of the

2 Evans, The Palace of Minos, p. 682, fig. 501.
3 Pryce, Journal of Hellenic Studies, 192 1, pp.
81 ff., pi. I.
4 Shortly to be published by M. Hazzidakis.
5 Hawes, Gournia, PI. XI, B21.
6 Hazzidakis, Deltion II, 19 16, p. 168, fig. 3.

human body and more care in its execution
than most Minoan bronzes.

The statuette of a "sphinx" in black
steatite is a curious object found in Hagia
Triada by the Italian expedition. 7 Since it
has the body of a lion and a human head,
we may call it a sphinx, but it is different
from the Egyptian sphinxes in that it has
no beard or headdress. It evidently served
some special purpose, for in its center is a
large round hole, perhaps for the insertion
of a column; but what its significance was
we cannot tell. The representation of
both hind legs in front suggests that it was
not intended to be seen from the back and
reminds us of similar naive practices of the
archaic Greek artist. The handsome black
color of the steatite was enhanced by an
inlay decoration of white glass, of which
traces were found in two of the holes made
for the purpose and which has accordingly
been reconstructed in our copy.

A diminutive gold statuette of a "snake
goddess" will rank as one of the finest prod-
ucts of Cretan art. She is in the attitude
of the famous faience goddess from Knos-
sos (Case O in our collection) and the ivory
statuette in Boston, with the same high
tiara, flounced skirt, and exposed breasts; in
both hands she is holding two snakes which
are winding their coils around her waist
and arms in a very decorative fashion. If
we encountered her today we should call
her a snake charmer. But in her Cretan
setting we must recognize in her the chief
divinity of the land, the great nature god-
dess, the precursor of all later nature divin-
ities. The figure, which is beautifully
worked, is soon to be published by M.
Hazzidakis.

A small gold plaque in the form of a
female figure came from Schliemann's ex-
cavations at Mycenae. She is dressed in
regular Cretan fashion, in a full, flounced
skirt, and is evidently intended to be seated.
Whether she is a goddess or only human we
do not know. There were two such plaques
found; the perforations for attachment
served either for fastening the two together
to form front and back of one figure or for
sewing each separately on a garment.

7 Monumenti Antichi XIV, pp. 750-751, figs
44 and 45.

BULLETIN OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Sometimes we need look for no hidden
meanings and explanations; our own tastes
and activities supplying the clue. Such is
the case in a little terracotta figure of a
girl, headless and armless, found at Hagia
Triada. She is neither standing nor sitting,
but clearly in the attitude of someone
supported on a swing; there is a transverse
hole through her hips, through which a
string or stick could be passed, and two
supports crowned by doves found not far
distant may well have been used for the
posts. M. Gillieron has reconstructed the
group accordingly, supplying the figure
with arms for the purpose. The girl has
long, curly hair, and her simple, apron-
like dress is in marked contrast with the
elaborate garments with which we are fa-
miliar in her elders. Very lifelike is the
way she holds her little feet close together in
her effort at balancing herself. It is scenes
like these that make us feel our close kin-
ship with the Minoans of three and four
thousand years ago. In costume, head-
gear, and action the representation might

well be of a child of today. Only the doves
on the posts may hold a meaning we no
longer understand. With us they would be
purely ornamental; have they here, as in
the Mycenaean gold altars, a religious pur-
port?

Mr. Seager's excavations in the island of
Mochlos have contributed much material
of real beauty — but nothing more appealing
to modern taste than a necklace of gold and
stone beads with a bull's head pendant. 8
It is shorter than the strings we wear today,
fitting closely round the neck, but the var-
iety of shapes and colors makes it a rich,
effective piece. In our reproduction the
beauty of the original crystal, carnelian, and
amethyst beads unfortunately does not
come to full account. The necklace may be
dated in the Late Minoan I period (about
1 600- 1 5 oo b. a), for though no pottery —
our usual aid for assigning dates — was
found in the tomb with it, the character of
the gold work suggests it.

G. M. A. R.

8 Seager, Mochlos, p. 78, PI. X.

REPRODUCTION OF A TERRA-
COTTA FIGURE OF A
GIRL FOUND AT HAGIA
TRIADA

62